India’s fast-growing economy stuck in decrepit infrastructure

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What: Manufacturing in India is exploding, but freight trucks average 19 mph on potholed roads; goods are delayed in decrepit warehouses because India’s 28 states have different taxes; and clearing ports takes 12 times longer than in Hong Kong or Singapore.

Why it’s outrageous: If India’s supply-chain logistics and infrastructure don’t grow by 2½ times in the next five years, the cost of waste and delays will increase from $45 billion annually to $140 billion by 2020.

What’s being done: India’s rail lines, roads and waterways were developed in the colonial era to transport troops, farm products and raw materials. The government built new highways and ports, but improvements haven’t kept up with the pace of industrial growth.